A Little Faith, Trust, and Exceed Dust
by wordsofawitheringwriter
Summary: While keeping herself company one night reading aloud from a storybook left behind by her late mother, Lucy Heartfilia is visited by a floating stranger who takes her by the hand and leads her to a world with pirates, Lost Kids, and a vengeful mermaid? NaLu in a Peter Pan AU (cover image credit to BringOnTheDork)
1. A Floating Stranger

_**a/n: I can finally post this now! Which means I'm currently on the road for a ten hour drive**____**lol some1 help.**__** Hopefully 3G doesn't suck and I'll still be able to talk to you guys, but it just depends on mobile and it's not always so reliable/: but without further ado, and enough of my rambling, I hope you guys enjoy this! I've had so much fun putting it together3 **_

_Chapter 1_

…_and so, the boy found himself in quite the predicament. The blade of his knife was buried deep into the floor of the ship, having been knocked from his hands not long into the battle. He was stuck without a weapon as he found himself cornered, and with his friends tied up by the rest of the crew, it seemed as if he were severely lacking in backup._

_But this boy was not easily deterred, and kept the playful grin on his face throughout the fight, much to Hook's annoyance. The captain snarled and swung his sword, bringing it down heavily on the spot where the boy had just been standing, but his sword swung at the air._

_The boy was fast._

_Hook whipped around, reaching up to rip the feather from his hat that had fallen in front of his eyes. "Listen here, you little brat!" The captain hollered, but he was cut off by the boy's laughter, and the man's eyes widened in panic at the sight of the new weapon he was holding._

_The boy had ripped one of the lit torches from the wall, holding it dangerously close over a barrel of gunpowder that was used for the cannons._

_He didn't need his knife to fight the captain._

_Fire would work just as well._

The young girl trailed off, yawning into her hand before wiping away a salty tear from the old book before it could stain the page. It was late, and her voice was becoming hoarse from reading aloud for so long.

Her nanny would no doubt scold her for it in the morning, she knew. After all, it wasn't proper for a child to stay up past her bedtime.

Sleeping schedule aside, Lucy couldn't help but read aloud- even if some nights it was only just above a whisper.

Every other book she could read in her head, but not this one. Her mother used to always say that the boy's story deserved a voice, so when the young girl read from the book that's exactly what she did.

Also, she'd be lying if she said her own voice didn't keep her company at times.

Rubbing at her tired eyes, the young girl reached over and blindly searched the surface of her nightstand for anything that would work as a bookmark. Carefully setting the old novel to the side, she picked up her sheets to use as a handkerchief, wiping at her damp cheeks.

It was an old story, the novel, one that she remembered her mother reading to her often before she passed away. Lucy could never help the tears that would sometimes fall, especially during the parts that had been her mother's favorite.

With her face pressed into the fabric, she heard the window to her balcony click open.

_Probably just the wind again,_ she thought, brushing it off since it wasn't that uncommon. _I'll just leave it be until morning, since it was getting a little stuffy-_

"Why did you stop reading?"

The girl stilled, freezing with her face pressed into the fabric as a new, unfamiliar voice made itself known in the heiress's room.

_Scream,_ she told herself, trying her best to keep from panicking. _Just scream…_Why aren't you screaming?_One loud shout and all the staff would come running!_

"Uh, hello?" The voice called, and Lucy noted that it sounded like a boy's- not quite deep enough to be mistaken for a man. "Did you fall asleep under there?"

Slowly, ever so slowly, Lucy lowered the sheet, peeking one eye open and then the other as she took in the sight of the child- possibly around her age, maybe a little bit older- in the center of her room.

_A scream would be great about now,_ she told her brain, and didn't quite understand when it didn't comply. Possibly, it was because the sound became stuck in her throat when she realized the boy was_floating_.

He cocked his head, looking at her expectantly as he seemed to be waiting for an answer to his original question. "Well?" He asked, gesturing to the novel on her nightstand. "You were just getting to the best part!"

Lucy still didn't answer him, however, as she was too distracted by her eyes following the blue blur that was flying in circles about his head, leaving behind a glittering trail of dust as it did so.

"I don't remember falling asleep," the girl mumbled faintly, pinching the back of her hand as the boy laughed.

"Because you're not asleep, silly!"

She ducked her head, shielding her face as he flew closer.

"What's wrong?" There was curiosity in his voice as she felt him poke her arm. "Are you okay?"

The girl's ears perked when she heard another, much tinier voice speak up. "She's kinda weird, don't you think, Natsu?"

_Natsu? What a peculiar name._

"A little," was the boy's hushed response, and Lucy puffed up her cheeks in annoyance, momentarily forgetting that she was supposed to be scared out of her mind in this situation.

"I am _not_ weird," she insisted, throwing the covers aside to cross her arms and glare at the snickering stranger. "After all, I'm not the one who's flying!"

"What's wrong with flying?" The boy- apparently named Natsu, if the other voice Lucy had heard was a reliable source- asked. He used the edge of her bed to kick off, pushing himself higher into the air. "Everyone does it where I'm from!"

_Where he's from?_ Nothing was adding up in this situation. Lucy wasn't quite sure what to make of the boy, and noticed that his clothes were a bit strange as well.

Around his torso was a deep green tunic made from an odd material- as if it were a bunch of leaves that had been sewn together. It was hard to tell in the light, but the stitching didn't appear to be sloppy, and might possibly be better work than anything the girl had managed herself in the finishing school that Father sent her to.

On his legs were trousers that stopped just below the knee, worn and frayed around the bottoms and- was that a _scorch mark_ across the left leg?

He wore his short boots in an odd fashion as well- she noticed, with a tinge of annoyance- one flap up and the other folded down.

And his hair, she realized with a gasp. It was _pink_!

"So?" He asked, waving his hand in front of her face, crossing his arms while she shook herself from her daze. "Are you going to ask where I'm from?"

She blinked up at him, complying only when she saw the holstered knife that was held on a piece of leather wrapped twice around his waist as a belt. "Whe- where are you from?"

"I'm from Neverland!" He exclaimed, face breaking into a smile so wide that she wondered how a child such as himself could ever carry a knife.

"What is a Neverland?"

"Not a _what_," he corrected, "a _where_. It's a place for kids who never have to grow up!"

Lucy laughed. "That's impossible," she said, giggling behind her hand much to the boy's annoyance. "Everyone has to grow up."

"Not in Neverland they don't." He grinned smugly. "I should know," he spread his arms wide, swooping lazily around her room. "I'm its protector!"

"Protector of what?"

He stopped, hovering in place as if he'd never really thought about what his role consisted of before. "I dunno," he admitted, scratching the top of his head. "Whatever it needs protecting from, I guess."

Lucy sighed, deciding to humor the boy as she kicked off the covers and drew her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she laid her chin atop her knees. "So, how would one get to this place? This Neverland?"

He grinned, as though relieved that she had asked. "It's easy," he said. "All it takes is a little faith, trust, and Exceed dust." Natsu tapped his chin in thought. "Although, I think there could be a better word to use, but I've always said Exceed."

"An Exceed?" The blonde cocked her head, frowning at the boy. "What is that?"

"It's what I am!" The tiny voice made itself known once again, sounding excited as a tiny, shining blue ball of light flew down from where it had been resting atop her dresser. It crossed her room, leaving behind a glittering trail of dust before landing in her palm.

It was tiny, about as tall as the girl's pointer finger.

_It's a cat_, she realized with some surprise, bringing up her hand to gingerly touch the angelic wings that were protruding from it's back. She laughed as the small cat began to purr.

"I'm glad you two are getting along," the boy said, grinning as he watched the pair with his arms across his chest. "That's Happy, and I'm Natsu by the way."

The blonde smiled. "Lucy."

"Well Lucy, does that mean you're coming?"

"Coming where?" She asked, continuing to stroke the tiny creature's wings. The 'Exceed' barely weighed more than a bird, feeling light as a feather in the palm of her hand as it nuzzled against her thumb.

"To Neverland, of course."

"Oh," she laughed, shaking her head. "I can't go there."

Natsu drifted closer, now hovering beside her bed and crossing his legs. He was sitting in the air! Did the boy ever land?

"Why not?" He asked, and if Lucy didn't know any better she would have thought he was pouting; much like a young child would.

"Well," Lucy started, surprised that he was pushing it. She wasn't used to children her age asking twice. Though, to be fair, all of the kids she knew were children of her father's customers, and it was possible they had been warned by their parents not to upset the young heiress. "I uh," she fumbled for some sort of excuse. "I have responsibilities here!"

"Responsibilities?" Natsu echoed, turning his nose up at the thought. "Yuck! Those are for adults!"

Lucy had to bite her tongue to keep from lashing out with the first sassy remark that came to mind. It would be childish of her to not keep her cool in this sort of situation. "Well, Father says-"

"Exactly!" He snapped his fingers, cutting her off and sounding as if he had just proved a point, though Lucy wasn't so sure that he had. "Who's doing the talking here?"

"Not Lucy!" Happy piped up, leaving the girl's hand to flutter over the top of the boy's head, landing in the midst of the rosy curls that were in desperate need of a trim.

The young girl gritted her teeth. "Everyone has to grow up at some point! It isn't exactly a choice now, is it?"

"It is for me!" Natsu proclaimed proudly, taking advantage of her high ceiling to do a quick somersault in the air.

_Show-off_, Lucy grumbled to herself, following his figure with her eyes as he twisted and twirled while the tiny Exceed held on for dear life. "What do you mean?"

For the first time since he had entered her room, he landed beside her bed with a soft _plop_ on the ground, holding out his hand for her to take. "Come to Neverland with me," he said, his eyes shining in excitement. "Instead of telling you, let me _show_ you what I mean."

"Th- that's ridiculous! I can't just leave!"

She protested when he rolled his eyes at her words, taking ahold of her wrist and pulling her to her feet so that they now rested on the rug. Lucy pulled against his grip, planting her feet firmly on the ground when he started for the window. "A-at least let me change first!"

He dropped her hand, scratching the top of his head while exchanging a confused look with the Exceed. "What's wrong with what you're wearing?"

She stared straight at him, her cheeks flaming when she realized that he wasn't kidding. "I'm in a nightie!" She exclaimed, as if it were obvious, pulling at the thin cotton material despite that it was already brushing her knees. "I can't just leave in my night gown! It isn't proper to-"

Natsu repeated her words in a higher, mocking sort of pitch as she stood there, affronted.

He complied, however, suddenly pushing himself off the ground once more and taking flight, ducking into her closet before she could protest and leaving behind a trail of that same, glittering blue dust as he did so.

Lucy's mouth fell open when he came back out not too long after, his feet squished into her favorite leather boots.

"Mind if I borrow these?" He asked, turning in front of her full-length mirror. "Mine are getting a little worn.

"On second thought," he continued, disappearing into her closet before Lucy could cut him a new one for stretching her best pair of black boots. He reappeared, clad in his own short boots once again- one flap still folded down while the other stood tall and proud. "I like mine more." Natsu returned his attention to her mirror, tapping his feet together. "I think brown looks better on me."

She repressed the giggle that was threatening to slip past her lips, instead opting for a long sigh as she deemed "play time" over. It was time for reality to make itself known again.

"Honestly, you can't _really_ believe you'll stay a kid forever. Everyone grows up at some-"

"Listen to yourself!" The boy wrinkled his nose. "You need this even more than I thought." He darted forward, recapturing the startled girl's wrist as he began to pull her towards the window. "There's no time for you to change, I need to get you to Neverland as soon as possible!"

She swatted his hand. "You've still not told me exactly what this place is," she said, annoyance clear in her tone as she grabbed ahold of her footboard, effectively keeping her in place.

He grinned, as if excited that she was finally showing the tiniest bit of interest. "It's the greatest place not on Earth!" He used his arms as his talked, his amount of energy proving to be just the slighted bit infectious as Lucy soon felt a grin tugging at her lips. "Second Star to the right, and straight on 'till morning."

That part brought on a few questions to the girl's mind, but before she could voice them Natsu snatched a fluttering Happy from the air, holding the tips of his wings as he shook him gently over Lucy's head.

"Natsu!" The Exceed protested, crossing his arms as some of the blue, shimmering glitter fell around the girl, collecting in her palm like tiny raindrops before fading away. "I'm not a salt shaker!"

Lucy suddenly felt lighter, but didn't realize why until Natsu landed in front of her and- a little more gently this time- reached down to hold both of her hands, ever so slowly kicking off from the ground. "Just believe that you can," he told her, a sheepish grin on his lips as he added, "Also, a little jump might help."

So she did, and Lucy Heartfilia gasped so loudly that Natsu erupted into laughter once more as she realized that she was _flying_.

"Come on," he said, keeping a hold on her hand as he led her towards the open window.

"No!" She began to panic, gripping the hand tightly that was holding hers. "I'm not used to flying! What if I fall?"

Surprisingly, he didn't roll his eyes and grow impatient with her, like she had been expecting. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders before rubbing the back of his neck in thought, snapping his fingers when he came up with a solution.

"Grab onto my back!" He said, turning and backing up so that he was right in front of her, and Lucy was winding her arms around his neck before she could really stop herself.

_Since when did she give into any sort of impulse?_

"You can hold on for now," he told her, starting for the window again while Happy flew in excited circles around them. "Then, when you feel comfortable, I'll let you go so you can fly by yourself!"

They left through the window and he landed gracefully on the ledge of the balcony, his hands supporting her legs even though she still had the Exceed powers and was practically floating in place. She was basically using him as an anchor so she wouldn't float away in the meantime.

However, she shied away from the drop, not liking how far away the ground seemed. "You won't let me fall?"

She couldn't see it, but he frowned. "Let you fall? Now that wouldn't be very fun, would it?"

It wasn't entirely the reassuring answer Lucy had been looking for, but at the same time she didn't find her grip on the strange boy loosening at all.

In truth, she was a bit surprised to find that she was _excited_. She _wanted_ to go to Neverland, to see what it was like.

Maybe there wouldn't be so many nights staying up late, having to read aloud for company.

"Okay," she said softly, her eyes squeezed shut as she felt Natsu bend down, waiting for her word before he kicked off. "Let's go."

And so they did.

It wasn't until they were over the Kensington Gardens- not far from the Heartfilia Mansion- that Lucy began to slowly loosen her grip.

"You sure you're ready?" Natsu asked over his shoulder, but his smile was so wide as he spoke against the wind that it excited Lucy, and she nodded her head in anticipation as Natsu sped up at the same time the blonde let go, and she laughed.

She was flying.

She spread her arms, feeling giddy as she twirled in the air above the lights of the city below. The draft from being up so high erupted goosebumps across the girl's skin, but she easily dismissed them, as she was too busy taking in the sight of her town from a bird's eye view.

Natsu began to pick up the speed, not noticing that Lucy had fallen behind until Happy started to swarm in circles around his head.

"Happy," he sputtered, coming to a halt while glaring at the Exceed, having to speak around a mouthful of glittery dust that he was now wiping from his tongue. "What's the big idea?"

The tiny cat pointed behind the boy, gesturing to the blonde who was clumsily gliding through the air, too distracted by the act of actually _flying_ to realize that the two had gone ahead.

"Oooh," Natsu drawled out the word, giving his little buddy a thankful wink before doubling back for the girl.

"Grab on," he said, a grin on his face as he suddenly appeared right in front of her. Lucy, startled and thinking they were going to collide, held out her hands in front of her to brace for the impact. It never came, however, and when she peeked open one eye, she saw him laughing.

"It's not very smart to fly with your eyes closed," he grinned, turning in the air to shake one of his boots in her face. "Now grab on," he repeated, winking over his shoulder as she complied. He began to pick up speed, and now Lucy knew why he had told her to grab on. There was no way she could fly this fast by herself. "And whatever you do," he called over his shoulder, giving an excited whoop as they flew higher and higher over the city of Magnolia. "Don't let go!"

Lucy remembered what Natsu had told her about the Second Star to the Right, but at the time she had only dismissed it as nonsense.

He didn't _actually_ believe they could fly into a star, did he?

_Did he?_ Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, the wind now too strong for her to keep them open without watering.

Though, then again, she _was_ flying right now… who's to say it wasn't possible?

As they flew higher and higher towards to the star, Lucy had to shield her eyes away from the blinding light as she tightened her grip on Natsu's ankle.

There was suddenly a blinding light, and even with her eyes were shut tight it still gave the after effect of staring at the sun for too long. Her stomach was doing somersaults, leaving her the slightest bit nauseous as her ears popped, but it was all worth it for the sight that met her when she heard Natsu's soft voice telling her to open her eyes.

In her mind, she tried to rationalize what she was seeing, but was coming up short. It was unlike anything she'd ever read about in books, and none of the fictional worlds she'd spent hours imagining even came close to this.

She released her hold on the boy's ankle now that they'd slowed to a tolerable speed, and Natsu did an excited flip in the air at the sight of his home.

As they flew just below the clouds, he reached out for her hand to bring them to a slow stop, and he looked at her with a smile that was nearly as bright as the star.

"Miss Lucy," he bowed in the air much to the blonde's amusement, and gestured to the island below. "Welcome to Neverland."


	2. Jealous Mermaid and Vengeful Tree

**A special character is introduced in this chapter.. Can't wait for you guys to find out who!(; **

_Chapter 2_

_A small girl's eyes widened as she watched from the lookout deck, waiting to see if the boy was actually going to go through with his threat._

_She watched as he dipped the torch down in his hand, teasing the flames so that they just barely missed skimming the gunpowder._

"_Don't do it!" The girl shouted, her hands gripping the wooden railing so tight that she'd no doubt be left with more than a few splinters. "Think about the consequences!" She pleaded, growing frustrated when it seemed like he was ignoring her._

"_Listen to the girl!" The captain ordered, lunging for the boy who ducked out of reach, snickering as he did as he wished._

_The girl felt as if time slowed, her eyes following that tumbling torch as he dropped it over the barrel._

They coasted, allowing the wind to carry them over the waves as they flew together over the ocean and towards land. Reaching over, Natsu took her hand and- before she could protest- dipped it in the water as they flew.

She was _splashing_\- something that she'd never been allowed to do back home- completely soaking both herself and the boy.

He was laughing though, not seeming to mind in the slightest as he dunked his hand in the water to join her.

He was laughing, so Lucy joined him.

When the sea began to fade to sand, and sand began to fade to dirt, Natsu began to slow down.

"Oh," Lucy hummed once she realized he was signaling for them to land, hoping that she didn't sound too disappointed.

Natsu frowned, stopping completely so that now he was hovering only a few feet above the grass. "Why do ya look sad?" He asked, poking her cheek as she came to a stop beside him. "You can't be sad in Neverland."

"I know it sounds silly," the girl replied, swatting his hand away from her face. "But," she shrugged, bashful as she admitted, "I don't want to land."

There was a beat, and then, "Is that all?"

She whirled around to glare at the boy who had drifted behind her, but his smile was so big that her anger was hard to hold onto. "What do you mean by that?" She asked, giving a little twirl in the air as her nightgown swished at her bare legs. "I kind of like this whole flying thing. I don't want it to end."

Natsu grinned as she spun around in tight circles, mimicking the ballerinas that her nanny had taken her along to see one winter in her father's place. He was glad that she was starting to loosen up.

"Don't worry, Lucy." He grinned as Happy flew in excited circles around him. "This won't be the last time."

She made him promise, and he did so with a scout's honor, which no one on Neverland is ever allowed to break. So, taking his word, she followed him as he dropped in altitude, drifting towards the ground while Happy fluttered blissfully between the two.

"You like having company, don't you little guy?" Natsu laughed, speaking to the Exceed who nodded excitedly.

"It's nice having someone to talk to other than you all day." Happy stuck out his tongue, laughing as he flew just out of reach as the boy landed.

"Hey!" Natsu exclaimed, hands on his hips as his eyes followed the trail of blue glitter. "What's so bad about-"

"_Ah_!"

Natsu whipped around at the high-pitched shriek that filled the open area, unsheathing the knife that he always carried on him. "Lucy!" He looked around for any potential threat- specifically of the _hooked_kind- but found nothing. Natsu frowned, his face scrunched in confusion as he returned the knife to his belt.

It wasn't until he was scratching his head and turning to face the blonde did he find the source of her scream.

When he did, he couldn't stop _laughing_.

Unlike the oh-so-experienced Natsu, Lucy didn't quite have a grip on the whole _landing_ part yet, and had tumbled right into a mud puddle much to the boy's amusement and her chagrin.

"I don't see what's so funny," she glared up at him, trying to wipe away some of the mud from her hands by running them in the grass.

"You are," he cackled, coming over to offer a hand. "Come on," Natsu nodded towards a break in the trees. "I know somewhere you can wash off."

"My nightie!" The blonde wailed as she followed, only just noticing the mud that had collected at the hem of her gown. Behind the pair, a little Exceed was keeping his distance as he snickered the enter way to the watering hole.

Both of the boys left her be by the water's edge, trying to give her some privacy and time to wash off. At first, she'd been a little nervous about being left alone in a strange world, but if she listened carefully then she could hear the two of them playing what sounded like a game of tag in the tree tops.

Lucy dipped her hands in the water, cupping them so she could bring some to her lips to drink. However, she thought better of it when the mud on her fingers began to turn the water a murky color.

Looking around her, the young girl smiled when she spotted a few Calla Lilies that had sprouted near the bank. She carefully picked one, and used it as a sort of cup as she dipped it into the water. Giggling to herself, she even raised her pinky as she brought the flower to her lips.

It took a few more scoops, but once the blonde's thirst had been quenched, she held the flower up towards the sun. She wasn't used to seeing one quite this color; it was so much more _vibrant_ here than the ones the ones her mother had planted in the garden at home.

Finally setting it aside, worried that Natsu and Happy would come back soon only to find that she'd spent the time playing with a flower, Lucy cupped her hands into the water once more.

This time not to drink, but to splash onto her face. She kept close to the water, just a few inches above it so that way she wouldn't get her nightgown all wet before she could get to cleaning up.

As she blinked blearily through damp lashes, looking around for something to dry her face, she gave a sudden cry when she felt something tug hard on her hair. Whatever it was seemed to be coming from the water and pulling down on her hair, so she couldn't look up to see who- or _what_\- it was.

She heard something moving through the trees as she fought to get her hair back from whatever it was latched onto, and soon Natsu's voice was calling out.

"Lucy?" She heard him call, followed by an exasperated sigh. "What are you doing?"

"What am _I_ doing?" She shrilled, momentarily distracted as she frowned. "What do you mean what am _I_-"

"Not you," he brushed her off, and Lucy could sense that he was now hovering over her head. "I was talking to _her_."

"Her who?" The blonde demanded, just wanting her hair back and jumping when a new voice spoke up.

"Natsu has brought back a love rival!" The voice yelled, finally letting Lucy go as the attention turned to the boy. "Strange girl is only here to take Gray away!"

"Gray?" Lucy asked, "Who's Gray?" She scooted backwards away from the water's edge as she took in the sight in front of her. Her jaw dropped, but she didn't care that back at home she'd be scolded for staring.

She was looking at a mermaid.

An actual, real-life mermaid, just like in her books back home.

Lucy's eyes widened as she took in the young woman whose hair blended in with the water, as it's shade was similar to that of the sky. Her torso was a tad more covered than the mermaids that Lucy had read about, or the illustrations that accompanied.

The blonde peered closer- _was that? Was her top made of seaweed?_ It hung loosely against her frame, the hem bobbing in the water with the little waves that she made as she used her hands while shouting at Natsu.

Said boy flew over to hover just a few inches off the ground, beside the place where Lucy sat- crossing his legs as he once again "sat" in the air.

The blonde racked her brain for any clues as to who this Gray person was, but she was falling short. "Gray?"

Meanwhile, Natsu's nose wrinkled at the name.

"A stripper."

Lucy choked on her own spit, and could feel the ever so faint pats just below her shoulder blades where the tiny Exceed was thumping her back, doing whatever he could to help.

"I'm sorry," she managed to croak around her coughing, much to the mermaid's amusement. "A_what_?"

The girl in the water narrowed her eyes at a cackling Natsu as he passed by overhead, splashing water in his direction. "Juvia's beloved is _not_ a stripper!"

Lucy cocked her head to the side at the mention of yet another name she didn't recognize. "Who is Juvia?"

The mermaid flipped her damp hair over one shoulder, eyes sliding to look at the blonde from the corner of her eye as she kept the rest of her body turned towards Natsu. "Juvia is Juvia," she answered, as if it were that simple.

As the mermaid returned to her previous task at hand, trying to drench the dodging boy, who was clearly having too much fun avoiding the spray of water, Lucy turned helplessly to the floating Exceed.

Happy offered a reassuring pat on her shoulder, pointing to the girl in the water. "Her name is Juvia. She likes talking in third person."

"Oh," Lucy blinked, turning her head to the the scene in front of her. "That's," she trailed off, looking for the appropriate word, "nice."

"Just be careful," Happy whispered behind his paw. "Mermaids are super possessive. You don't want her to think you're a love rival."

"Love rival?" Lucy repeated a little louder than the Exceed would have liked, if his panicked signaling for her to stop talking was any indication. Lucy ignored it. "She keeps saying that, but I don't even know what it means."

"You want to know what it _means_?" The blonde's ears perked at the dangerous tone coming from the water as Juvia turned her attention to Lucy once more. "It means Natsu brought back another girl- a blonde- to steal Gray away from Juvia!"

"Wha- no!" Lucy held up her hands as she shook her head, a nervous grin on her lips as she tried to laugh it off. "I don't even know who this Gray person is!"

"Even worse!" Juvia shrilled, her eyes turning a dangerous amber color. "Natsu brought back a girl unworthy of Gray's love!"

Natsu made an over-exaggerated gagging sound at Juvia's implications, meanwhile, drifting closer to the blonde currently kneeling on the riverbank.

"Natsu's gonna have to be careful," Happy said quietly, pulling the the edge of Lucy's sleeve to pull her even farther from the water's edge.

"Why is that?" Lucy asked, keeping her voice down as not to attract the attention of the mermaid who was currently focused on the flying boy.

"He's still teasing her, but he's starting to inch his way over this way without being too obvious. Juvia's sort of like a ticking time bomb when it comes to Gray, so he's getting ready in case she-"

"JUVIA'S BELOVED BELONGS TO JUVIA ONLY!"

Lucy gulped- literally gulped, she's not sure if she's ever really done that before in her life- at the sight of the wall of water that was coming her way, growing in height as it surged forward.

She stared dumbly at the towering wave, knowing she would never be fast enough to run before it would break on the bank- exactly in the place she was currently sitting.

"Look out!"

Lucy gasped at the sudden jarring motion of colliding into Natsu's chest as he swooped in to scoop her up, kicking off the ground for quicker elevation as he hurried to get her out of the way.

"Sorry about that," he panted, but there was that same familiar grin that hadn't left his face since they'd met as he flew them over the tree tops, away from the watering hole. Briefly, Lucy wondered if the boy ever took anything seriously. "Juvia's actually really cool, I swear. Once she realizes you're not_actually_ a threat trying to steal her "beloved" she'll warm up to you."

His mumbled '_I hope_' went unnoticed by the blonde, but Happy nodded in agreement as he flew alongside the pair, leaving behind a trail of light blue, glittering dust as they went.

"Aw, come on," he said sometime later as they flew overtop a dense forest. "You can't still be mad."

The blonde turned up her nose in response, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest. "You nearly got me drowned," she reminded him. Had he not been carrying her, this would be the part where she would walk away.

"Emphasis on the _nearly_," Natsu pointed out. "And "nearly" has never killed nobody."

She refrained from correcting his grammar, narrowing her eyes.

"So we've had a little rotten luck," Happy chimed in, intervening as he fluttered around their heads. The Exceed had noticed the murderous glint flash in the blonde's brown eyes. "Neverland isn't so bad, Lucy! Honest!"

"First impressions are lasting."

Natsu snorted. "Where'd you hear that one from?"

"My teacher." She responded hotly, her frown deepening as he rolled his eyes.

"Well, if that were the truth then I'd be in trouble."

"You _are_ trouble."

"Now that's not really fair," he pouted. "How was I supposed to know Juvia would go after you? She usually only goes after pretty-"

Lucy's glare became fixed and dangerous. "I'm gonna advise that you don't finish that sentence."

He paused. "Fair enough."

"_Natsu_!" Both kids whipped their heads towards Happy's panicked outburst. "Look out!"

But, the Exceed's warning came too late, and Natsu couldn't put on the breaks in time to evade the vine that reached up from one of the treetops, swatting the pair to the ground. The hit momentarily stunned the boy, as he had take the brunt of it, leaving him unable to fly as the two plummeted towards the forest floor.

"Happy!" He called for the feline who dived down after the falling pair, circling them and quickly showering them in the glittering dust. While it admittedly softened the fall, it came a tad too late as the both kids still smacked the ground with a hard _thump_ that sent Lucy tumbling out of Natsu's reach.

The blonde sat up slowly, blinking a few times when everything appeared a bit blurry around the edges. She pushed herself forward to get back on her feet, when a burning sensation bloomed along her left leg.

"Ouch," she hissed, falling back as she clutched her knee.

Natsu called out for her, jumping to his feet as if he hadn't just been propelled towards the ground from an admittedly impressive height.

_What is he, invulnerable?_ Lucy wondered, brushing off his worried hands as he tried to get a better look at the leg she was holding. "I'm fine," she insisted. "I only skinned my knee."

The boy unsheathed his knife, whipping around to look through the openings of the towering trees surrounding them.

"Elfman!" He called out, not once lowering his weapon. "Evergreen! Whichever one of you it was, stop hiding and come out here!"

"It was neither of the fawns," came a loud, booming voice that caused Lucy to cover her ears with both hands, gritting her teeth as the air nipped at her fresh cut. "We are acting on our own free will, Natsu Dragneel."

_Fawns named Elfman and Evergreen, huh?_ Lucy thought, more intrigued by the idea of the forest sprites rather than worrying about the new potential threat of "we" that was presenting itself. _Oddly fitting names._

As she looked around, searching for the face of the newcomer whose voice threatened to burst her eardrums, Lucy gasped when she saw what Natsu's line of sight had fallen on.

It wasn't a _who_ that was responsible, it seemed. Instead, it was more like a _what_.

"Is that talking tree?" Lucy squeaked, backing away when she saw the vines that were lowering from the branches, and her eyes widened as she remembered just what those things were capable of.

She shrieked as one suddenly made a move for her, but Natsu intervened and swung his knife, chopping the thing in half. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her out of the way as the tree let out a pained cry so loud that Lucy covered her ears.

Natsu stepped forward to attack, but the blonde grabbed his arm to keep him in place.

"No!" She shouted, much to the boy's confusion.

"What do you _mean_ no?" He demanded, gesturing wildly to the broken vine that had fallen limp to the ground once it had been severed from the tree. "It just-"

"It didn't just attack us for no reason!" She panted, her heart beating dangerously fast thanks to the sudden chain of events all happening so soon after the other. Lucy willed her breathing to even as she kept her grip tight on Natsu's forearm. "It's a mean, nasty tree who attacks _children_," she directed her words and a glare at the swaying vines. "But I still think we should listen to what it has to say before making any rash decisions."

"The trees of this forest request silence, and all you ever bring is chaos that threatens our home." The tree spoke up, and Lucy noted that it spoke so slow and so deep that it would be soothing if not for the fact it felt like her eardrums were about to burst. "We've warned you countless times to stay away, young Dragneel."

"No one tells me what to do!" Natsu grumbled, raising his knife once more in preparation to rush the tree when Lucy clasped her hands around his wrists, digging her heels into the ground to stop him.

"Don't hurt it!"

"Why _not_?" Natsu demanded, growing tired of being interrupted. "This is Neverland, we fight all the time!"

The girl puffed up her cheeks before huffing. "Not everything has to be settled in a fight! All they want is quiet, and if we leave we can give it to them!"

"Lucy, they enjoy the quiet so much because they like hearing their _leaves grow._ They can stand some visitors passing through every now and then without going off the deep end!" He aimed the last part towards the towering tree. "This is more than that thing just smacking us out of the air. If they keep this up, then other people of Neverland could get hurt!"

The girl, though she did her best to hide it, was admittedly shocked at the boy's words. He seemed so immature most of the time, yet here he was taking other people well-beings into consideration.

Then, Lucy remembered what he had said not long after he'd first barged into her room unannounced.

_Lucy had laughed. "That's impossible," she said, giggling behind her hand much to the boy's annoyance. "Everyone has to grow up."_

"_Not in Neverland they don't." He grinned smugly. "I should know," he spread his arms wide, swooping lazily around her room. "I'm its __**protector**__!"_

"_Protector of what?"_

_He stopped, as if he'd never really thought about what his role consisted of before. "I dunno," he admitted, scratching the top of his head. "Whatever it needs protecting from, I guess."_

"Let me talk to it," she said, sliding her hands from his arm so she now clutched his hand. "You're too fired up to think straight."

"Whatever," the boy grumbled, rolling his eyes as he sheathed the knife when it became evident that the initial threat had passed. "Go make friends with the killer tree. I'll be over there when you're ready to talk some sense again."

He kicked off from the ground once Lucy had released her hold on him, flying up before disappearing with Happy deeper into the forest. As the blonde stepped closer to the quote-on-quote "killer tree" she was comforted by the fact that Natsu wouldn't have flown off very far.

He'd come running should anything happen to her.

Still, Lucy wrung her hands as she stepped forward, tentatively approaching the trunk.

"I am impressed, little girl," came that deep, booming voice once more. The writer in her giggled at the thought of the tree's voice 'running like molasses'. "You are the only one the boy seems to listen to."

She felt the tips of her ears warm up and suddenly found the ground much more interesting. "I don't think I'd go that far. He only listened to me because he knows I'm right."

In the distance she heard a muffled shout of, "_was not,_" that she decided to ignore.

"I'll ask Natsu to stay out of the woods from now on, and to pass the message along to the others who live here." In the back of her mind, the blonde wondered just who _did_ live here, but she decided to save that question for a later time. "But, in exchange you have to be fair and have more patience with people. Flying overhead should be just fine."

"If they're quiet about it, I suppose that can be a fair trade."

In her mind, Lucy was partially freaking out over the fact she was negotiating with a tree, but at the same time, she was almost drowned by a mermaid.

"Here," the tree continued, and Lucy flinched when it began to lower one of it's vines. She took a cautious step back, preparing to yell for Natsu before it could strike her, but she had no reason to worry. "Take this plant that grows in this forest," and upon closer look, the blonde saw the small, green leaves that the vine was offering her. "Squeeze the moisture from the leaves and rub it on that cut of yours. It should clean it good and well."

Lucy blinked in surprise, accepting the small plant. "T-thank you."

"All is well, child. Take it as our thanks for stopping young Dragneel from attacking." The ground began to shake just the slightest bit, and Lucy realized the tree was laughing. "He's quite rowdy, but we're quite fond of the boy. I'd hate to have to teach that punk a lesson."

"Who are you calling a _punk_?"

Lucy giggled as Natsu flew straight to the trunk of the tree, knowing he would stay within hearing distance.

The boy yelped when one of the vines came down and wrapped itself around his waist, plopping him on his rear beside the girl. "Run along now, young Dragneel. Your friend here has left me in a good mood, and I'd hate you ruining it."

"Whatever," the boy grumbled, wiping the dirt from his backside as he stood. "Come on, Lucy."

The blonde held on tight to the small plant in her hands as she wrapped her arms around the boy's neck, jumping onto his back.

"Goodbye, Mr. Tree!" Lucy waved as Natsu kicked from the ground, mumbling under his breath as Happy giggled the entire way.

_First a jealous mermaid, and then a vengeful tree. _The girl sighed, tightening her hold on the boy while wondering just what on Earth could possibly be next.


	3. The Lost Kids

"_No!" She yelled, watching as the lower deck was suddenly filled with smoke as an explosion knocked her on her backside. Her cry was cut off only when the boy came rushing towards her up from the smoke, desperate to get her out of the blast zone._

"_Come on," he said, pulling her to his chest and kicking off, pushing away from the railing before the explosions could really start._

_Once it finally dawned on her that the boy was safe, she began to smack the arms wrapped around her middle. "The Lost Kids," she sobbed. "You've killed them."_

"_Don't worry about them," he said, much to the girl's horror._

"_What do you mean?" She demanded, her grief turning into anger. "They were just kids! Kids that you led into that stupid battle!"_

_He didn't answer her directly, just looked down and shot her that mischievous grin that was always dawning his boyish face. He winked, as if to tell her that he knew something she didn't, but the girl missed it._

_She was too busy watching the growing flames engulfing the pirate ship in the distance, growing smaller as they flew farther and farther away. _

The pair had been flying for a while- long enough for Lucy to wonder where they were going- before Natsu spoke up.

"Do you still wanna go someplace to wash up?" He asked, having to raise his voice a bit to be heard over the wind. "There's a creek nearby, and it's deep enough to wade around in; too shallow for anymore mermaid visits though. I promise you'd be safe."

"It's okay," the girl sighed, wincing when she straightened her good leg and noticed her stained nightie. "The mud has already dried up for the most part. If I wet it now then it would only make a bigger mess."

Natsu made a clicking noise with his tongue, throwing a sheepish grin over his shoulder. "Okay, so your first experience with Neverland hasn't exactly been the best, I'll admit."

"You almost got me drowned."

"Debatable." He said, looking away as the girl frowned, still holding on to his back. "But things should be smooth sailing from here."

"Oh, and why is that?" Lucy asked, rolling her eyes. While he admittedly was proving to be a pretty reliable protector, he was still the person getting her _into_ situations needing protecting in the first place.

"Because now," she could feel the boy practically _buzzing_ with excitement as he exclaimed, "I'm taking you to meet the Lost Kids!"

The blonde frowned. "Who are the Lost Kids?"

Flying alongside the pair, Lucy turned her head at the sound of the Exceed snickering. "It's sorta self-explanatory, isn't it?"

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "Shut up, you dumb cat."

It was because of their bickering that the girl didn't first notice the tree overlooking the giant cliff, with leaves so pink that they nearly put the boy's hair to shame. It was on the outer edge of a small field, with flowers of every color blooming throughout. Some were so large that their petals would nearly be the size of Lucy's forearm.

"What is this place?" She breathed, her eyes wide in awe.

"I told you," came Natsu breathy response, shivering as the girl's words were warm on the back of his neck. "Welcome to Neverland, and welcome to the Nevertree."

Her eyes widened when she realized they was landing.

She tightened her hold around his shoulders before asking for clarification that this one was not going to attack them.

The boy chuckled, landing softly, and with much more grace than the girl had been able to manage. "Nah," the boy laughed as she slid off his back. "This one is just as alive, but only as far as a regular tree goes."

Lucy's cheeks warmed at the sight of him winking down at her, but (thankfully) before Natsu- or even worse, _Happy_\- could notice, another voice sounded out.

"Watch out!"

The girl only had enough time to frown before Natsu was shoving her out of the way, tackling her to the ground and with one hand, shielding her head so it wouldn't smack the dirt. They landed on one of the large flowers that, amazingly, held their weight.

"Amazing, it's like a cushion," she mused, fascinated with the petals while Natsu rolled off of her and stood, glaring at something protruding from the trunk of a nearby tree.

Lucy felt her heart jump up to her throat when she saw that it was an arrow.

It had been coming straight for her head.

The boy gripped the shaft and yanked the embedded arrowhead from the bark, snapping it in half and tossing it to the side.

"Hey!" That same voice from earlier called. "That was my best one!"

Lucy hurried to her feet when Natsu turned his gaze on the boy who stepped into the clearing, gripping his sleeve to keep him from going after the stranger.

Natsu took a deep breath, shooting her a quick glance before narrowing his eyes at the boy holding the bow. "Loke, your weapon privileges are revoked."

"Aww, that's lame!" The boy, presumedly Loke, sulked. "No fair!"

"You nearly took off our guest's head," came yet another voice. Lucy felt dizzy as she tried to sort all the names and faces she was being introduced to in such a short time. "I'd say it's completely fair."

"Shut up, Gray," Loke mumbled. "No one asked you."

"Gray?" Lucy tilted her head as she took in the shirtless boy standing beside Loke, remembering the scene from the lake. "You're the stripper?"

The boy in question blanched as Natsu doubled-over in laughter, holding his hand up for a high-five that the blonde chose not to return.

"Damn it, Twinkle Toes!" Gray shouted. "I told you to stop telling everyone that!"

"Natsu!" A girl's voice carried through the air, followed by a young boy who kept shouting, "You're back, you're back!"

Natsu knelt down to ruffle the kids' hair, laughing when the small girl threw her arms around his neck while the boy jumped on his back.

"Take us flying!" They begged, and Lucy laughed behind her hand when she saw the small girl giving her best puppy eyes. "Please?"

"Wendy, Romeo," Gray called. "Leave him be for a little while. He only just got back."

"Aww," the two pouted, slinking away until they heard Natsu snickering.

"I'll take you two later," he said, shooting them a wink. "I've gotta rest for a while though." He lowered his voice in a mock-whisper, "Lucy isn't exactly a light load."

The two children erupted in laughter as Lucy smacked the boy over the head, causing him to land face first in the dirt.

"Oh!" Wendy exclaimed, while Natsu was busy spitting out blades of grass. "She's hurt." The little girl seemed to be the youngest of the bunch, and her blue colored hair framed her face in tangled waves. She rushed forward, surprising Lucy by grabbing her hand and tugging her away from the group.

"Good," she said over her shoulder when she spotted the plant that Lucy had forgot she was still carrying. "I'm glad you have those leaves! They're so hard to come across around here."

Lucy met Natsu's eyes with a worried expression, but he only patted her back as they passed.

"Wendy's young, but our best healer!" He called after her. "She'll have you cleaned up in no time!"

And it was true, much to the blonde's amazement. It took the young girl no time at all to fix Lucy right up. Probably even better than her nanny could have done back home. "It doesn't sting at all anymore!"

Wendy grinned, showing off her missing front tooth as she blushed at the praise. "It's not that difficult," she assured the blonde, reaching into a small container for a homemade salve. "The boys are just too impatient to learn how to treat anything that involves more than some spit." She frowned, "'Cept I wish they'd stop doing that. I always tell them it's just gonna get infected."

"What's that you're using now?" Lucy asked, wrinkling her nose at the smell as the girl rubbed the concoction along the puckering skin on her knee.

Wendy grinned, replacing the cap once she'd finished. "This way it won't leave a scar. You're all done now."

"Good as new!" Lucy jumped when she felt Natsu's hand come down on her shoulder before he moved on to ruffle the smaller girl's hair again.

"See? What'd I tell ya? Best darn healer in all of Neverland." Wendy giggled under all of Natsu's praise, wiggling away as he messed up her already tangled hair.

"I could braid it for you, if you want." Lucy grinned. "It'd be my way of returning the favor."

The other girl cocked her head to the side, as did Natsu. "What's a braid?"

Instead of explaining it, Lucy opted to show her by braiding a small strand of her own hair. Wendy's eyes widened in awe, and was soon sat comfortably in the blonde's lap, sighing contently now and then as Lucy combed her hands through her hair.

"Seems kinda boring," Natsu said until Wendy shushed him, waving her hand towards the opposite end of the clearing where the other boys were.

"You can go talk to them if you're bored. This feels amazing."

Natsu ignored her request, jumping so that he was now hovering beside them with his legs crossed.

"Well, if you're gonna pass the time with something so boring," the blonde laughed when she saw the two sticking their tongues out at each other. "Lucy, could you at least tell a story to pass the time?"

The blonde blinked, her hands momentarily stilling. "A story," she repeated.

"Yep," Natsu smirked, making the 'p'-sound _pop_. "You can skip the dumb, boring first part though."

"You mean the introduction?"

"Yeah, that thing! Skip to the middle! It's always my favorite part."

Lucy grinned, "And why is that?"

"Because it's where all the battles take place!" He exclaimed, and his reasoning did not surprise the girl in the slightest. He uncrossed his legs and rose a few feet in the air, unsheathing his knife while pretending to fight off imaginary pirates.

His actions gained the attention of the other boys, who ambled over.

"What's he up to now?" Gray asked, not bothering to look up and see for himself, unlike the other two.

"He's acting out a story that Lucy knows," Wendy piped up, and Romeo's eyes grew wide.

"Ooh!" The boy shouted, rushing over to sit across from the two girls. "Will you tell it? Please please please?"

"I uh, I'm not sure how good it would be," Lucy's laugh was nervous even to her own ears, and her cheeks flushed a deep pink when Loke's hand came down on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said, sitting so close that Natsu paused in his pretend fight to see what was going on. "A lady as pretty as yourself couldn't possibly be boring. Go on, you should tell it."

"Well, I mean I'm not sure if I'd go that far-"

"Even with the mud on your gown and the windblown hair, I assure you it only adds to the overall-"

"Dude," Gray snorted, but dropped to the ground with the rest of them to listen in. "You gotta get out more often."

"Knock it off, Loke." Natsu called down, "She's a guest. If you want someone to fawn all over you then go swim with the mermaids!"

Gray noticed the way Lucy tensed up at the word, and offered a sympathetic wince while Natsu and Loke shouted back and forth.

"So I take it you met Juvia, huh?"

Lucy pressed her lips, nodding once. "Nice girl."

Gray snorted.

"Don't be that way," she chided. "She's a little… _defensive_, sure. Maybe a little protective of the things she cares about, but I'd hardly say that's a fault in character. She-"

"Nah," he waved his hand, cutting Lucy off. "She's cool, I know. It's just weird hearing one of her victims defend her."

"I'd hardly call myself a victim."

"Oh yeah? Tell me, what'd she do to ya?"

Lucy redirected her attention back to Wendy's hair, avoiding Gray's knowing gaze as she mumbled, "She sent a tidal wave after me."

The small girl in her lap tilted her head back to look at the blonde, showing off that gap-toothed grin. "You got off easy then," Wendy chuckled. "She must like you!"

"Odd way of showing it," Lucy grumbled, sectioning the smaller girl's hair to begin the braid.

Gray only sighed, leaning back on his palms. "You're telling me."

The blonde noticed that while his words gave the impression that the mermaid was nothing more than a nuisance, his expression gave him away. She was on to him, Lucy was. Gray was nowhere near as put out as he seemed.

Lucy wouldn't be surprised if part of the boy _enjoyed_ the way the mermaid behaved.

"So," Lucy jumped when she felt Loke's arm wrap around her shoulders. "Where were we?"

The blonde quickly apologized to Wendy for accidentally jerking her hair when she had jumped.

"So, where'd the hothead go?" Gray asked, voicing Lucy's own question. She'd been too distracted to notice him fly off.

Loke waved his hand dismissively. "Probably sulking in a tree somewhere. So, Lucy, how 'bout that story?"

Both Wendy and Romeo cheered, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

"Sure," Lucy sighed, hoping that her grin reached her eyes.

In truth though, she felt as if a story could wait.

She was worried about Natsu.

For as enthusiastic as the little ones had been about the story, it didn't take long for them to lose interest. Or, rather, they became _too_ interested.

Lucy had only made it to the very first battle scene, barely halfway through before Romeo had jumped up and proudly proclaimed that he was the hero of the day, meanwhile begging Wendy to be his sidekick.

"No way," the little girl turned up her nose at the thought. She ran a hand along her newly braided hair, admiring the style. "But I'll be your fairy!" Wendy's eyes lit up. "I can be just like Erza!" Romeo quickly agreed, grabbing Wendy's hand and pulling her to her feet.

"Erza?" Lucy tilted her head. "Who's she?"

"Queen of the Fairies here in Neverland." Gray was barely able to answer before both of the little ones were "attacking" both him and Loke, apparently deciding they would be the bad guys.

"Knock it off," Gray groaned as Romeo came at him with a nearby stick, ducking when Wendy and Loke tossed pinecones at his head.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" The shirtless boy shouted, aiming one of the pinecones back at Loke.

"I don't wanna be on the same team as a stripper! What sort of example would I be for the kids?"

"You _are_ a kid!"

Lucy giggled to herself before using the distraction to her advantage, sneaking off in the direction she'd last seen the boy go.

"Natsu!" She called once she hit the more wooded areas, knowing she was far enough that the others wouldn't hear her. "Natsu, where are you?"

"What's it to ya?" Lucy gasped when he finally answered her, and placed a hand over her racing heart.

"You scared me," she accused, glaring up at the tree tops, knowing he was up in one of them. Then, she spotted one of his legs dangling as he reclined against the trunk of one particularly towering tree. Even from all the way down on the ground, Lucy could hear the crunch of him passing time by snapping twigs.

"Are you done pouting yet?" She asked, her hands falling to rest on her hips.

"I've got plenty of sunlight left to pout," he said, not looking her way as he waved his hand as to dismiss her. That struck a cord in the girl, and the small action was the first thing about Neverland to really remind her of home- her father, specifically.

Lucy gritted her teeth, only sparing the tree one cautious look before walking up to it with a newfound determination.

"Knock it off," Natsu called down a few minutes later, after he'd peeked over the edge when she'd become too quiet for his liking, and saw that she was beginning the long climb up the tree. He watched as she struggled to grab a branch that was just out of reach. "You're gonna fall."

"Well, if you'd stop pouting like a little boy," she panted, "then you wouldn't have to worry about me falling, now would you?" She swung her foot around for better leverage as she talked, hoisting herself up to the next jutted-out section of the trunk.

There was a beat of silence, and then, "Who said I was worried?"

"You basically just did."

Lucy was surprised to hear Happy's voice, as she didn't know he had tagged along earlier. If she hadn't been so winded, she would have laughed as Natsu hissed at the Exceed to hush. They both lowered their voices, but Lucy managed to strain her ears enough to hear over the sound of her own labored breathing.

"Natsu, you should really go help her."

"Hmph, as if. If she wants so much help then Loke can come save her."

"Have you seen Lucy? She doesn't exactly look like the kind of girl who climbs trees that often."

"Probably because that'd be too much fun for someone like her."

Lucy knew that last part was _meant_ for her to hear, and she opened her mouth to make a very smart retort when she accidentally grabbed hold of a branch slick with moss. It caught her off-guard and she lost her footing, crying out as she dangled by one hand several feet off the ground.

"Natsu!"

Then, it snapped under her weight.

"_Natsu_!"


	4. Calm Before the Storm

_They landed shortly after, on a small cliff that overlooked the smoking ship below._

_As soon as his feet touched the soft patch of grass, the young girl pushed away from his chest._

_"Explain," she demanded of the surprised boy, tears in her eyes now that they were away from any danger. "Where are the Lost Kids?" She jabbed a finger in his chest before pointing down towards the water. "Tell me how they weren't caught in that awful, unnecessary explosion!"_

_That's when she heard giggling coming from behind her, and she whirled on her heel to see the faint outline of four or five children farther down the hill, a ball of light fluttering above their heads. _

_Happy, he must have saved them in time._

_Previousy:_

_Lucy, distracted by the boy in the treetops, accidentally grabbed hold of a branch slick with moss. It caught her off-guard and she lost her footing, crying out as she dangled by one hand several feet off the ground._

_"Natsu!"_

_Then, it snapped under her weight._

_"**Natsu!"**_

Her eyes were clenched shut, but she knew she'd hardly fallen a foot before he was there to catch her.

"That," she said as he flew them both upwards, setting her down softly on one of the larger branches and taking a seat across from her, "was _terrifying_."

"I told you not to climb-" Natsu was cut off by the sound of Happy clearing his tiny throat, and the boy dropped his_ I-told-you-so_ act. He glared after the tiny, cackling Exceed as Happy flew away to give them space.

There was a beat of awkward silence before Natsu broke it, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ya know, to be honest," he said, apparently deciding the branch was more interesting to look at than Lucy. "I'm surprised you followed me. Heck, I'm _really_ surprised you haven't asked to go home yet."

The girl frowned, cocking her head to the side. She bit her lip as she cautiously bent at the waist, trying to catch his eye. "Now, why would I do that?"

"I brought you here to have _fun_," he said, his shoulders slumping forward as he drew lazy circles on the bark with the pad of his finger. "I wanted you to be more of a kid, but all I've done is nearly get you killed- twice!"

"Three times, really. If you count the arrow."

Natsu clapped his hands to his face, groaning loudly. "I'm an awful protector!"

Lucy giggled at the boy's melodramatic outburst before assuring him that wasn't true. "Besides," she said, "you aren't _my_ protector anyway."

Natsu looked up at her through the bangs that had fallen in his face. "You're in Neverland right now, which makes you a part of it." His eyes met hers as he promised, "I'm your protector."

She blinked at the intensity in his eyes, and knew that he meant it.

The girl didn't reply at first, instead choosing to look for something in those eyes that were so dark they could be mistaken for black, but the way the light was shining in them now, Lucy could see flashes of fire and gold.

"Why did you come through my window?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper now, as if afraid of shattering something in the air. She wasn't sure why she had chosen this moment to voice the question that been on her mind for a while now, but it felt right.

Surprisingly, he gave her an answer that was rather straightforward. "I heard you crying."

"I wasn't crying."

"You were," he insisted. "I heard you. Actually," he admitted sheepishly, "it wasn't the first time I'd heard you either."

It took her a few seconds to process his words, but when it finally clicked what he meant she reached forward to slap his shoulder. "Pervert!" She hissed, to which he fervently shook his head.

"I only ever came because I enjoyed your stories."

"M-my stories?"

"Yeah," he told her, unashamed as he continued. "You read outloud so often that I couldn't help but hang out and listen until the end whenever I visited Magnolia… It was always sorta nice."

Lucy blinked, not entirely sure how to process his words, or how to handle the sudden realization that she'd had an audience all those years.

Natsu was unfazed by her going silent however, and said something else that surprised the blonde.

"Say, will you do that thing you were doing to Wendy earlier?"

She frowned, "You- you want me to braid your hair?"

"No no no, not that." He scrunched his nose and dismissed the thought. "The thing where you, like, put your fingers through her hair."

_Oh_, it finally clicked for the blonde. _He wants me to comb his hair._

"Yeah, combing," he grinned when she supplied the right word. "I wanna know what it feels like."

She laughed, adjusting her position on the branch before nodding. "Sure," she teased, "but I think you're a little big to sit on my lap like Wendy did."

Natsu grinned, taking initiative and surprising the girl by suddenly standing, bending down to catch both of her hands in his. Carefully, he brought her to her feet with a shy grin.

"Remind me to show you what it's like to dance in the trees one day," he mused, and before she could ask, he slid an arm around her waist and kicked off from the branch, flying them to the ground.

"There," he said, flopping down on a soft patch of grass that had sprouted at the base of the tree. "Not all of me needs to be in your lap," that little, boyish grin spread across his features as Lucy sat cross-legged on the ground, where he carefully laid his head. "Just my head will work, right?"

The blonde rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the fondness that was washing over her at the sight. She slowly began to card her fingers through the thick, salmon locks that turned into loose curls at the nape of his neck. He closed his eyes as she gently ran her blunt nails along his scalp, and he nodded.

"Yeah," he mused softly, a tiny grin tugging at one corner of his lips. "I can see what Wendy meant. This _is_ heavenly."

Lucy's cheeks warmed at his words, and she used a free hand to tuck a blonde strand behind her ear. "I guess it does feel pretty good. My mother used to do this for me when I was little."

Natsu's eyes had fallen shut, and he just hummed in response before falling silent, all but melting into the girl's touch.

That's where the others found them much later, and Lucy wondered if Happy had led them.

Loke had smirked when he'd come up on the pair, and began to ask when it was _his_ turn, but before he could fully articulate the sentence Natsu had chucked a pinecone at his head with an expression that read _don't you dare._

Night had fallen, and Lucy was patting down the material of her sleeping bag where she'd laid it down beside Wendy's. After looking around and making sure no one was watching, the heiress pressed her hand on the thin padding, internally wincing at the thought of sleeping on the ground.

_Oh well,_ she sighed. _A first time for everything, I suppose._

"Yo, Lucy," the blonde twisted around to see Gray by the light of the fire, and he had something thrown over one arm. "You girls need an extra pillow, or you good?"

Lucy's eyes drifted across the clearing where she could just faintly make out the outlines of both Wendy and Romeo as they clapped their hands above their heads, and it took a second for her to realize they were chasing fireflies.

She smiled when she saw Natsu hovering a few feet in the air above them, trying to help. He no longer had to swipe his hair out of his eyes every thirty seconds, she noted with a sense of satisfaction; it was all thanks to the haircut she'd given him when they'd arrived back at camp.

_"Hold still," she had instructed for the upteenth time, tapping the scissors impatiently against her palm as she waited for the boy to stop fidgeting. "If you keep moving, I'm likely to cut off your ear!"_

_"What, no!" Natsu panicked, clapping both hands over his ears. "I _need_ these!"_

_"I- no, I meant," Lucy started to explain that it was a just a joke, but she noticed how the boy had suddenly gone completely still. With a satisfied smirk, the girl went back to trimming the rosy locks, deciding that she'd explain the joke some other time. For now, he could manage a few more minutes believing what he liked. _

"That's okay," Lucy said, turning her attention back to the shirtless boy. "Thank you though."

Gray shrugged, "No problem. Just let me know if you guys get too uncomfortable." He used his thumb to point over his shoulder towards the small girl. "Wendy's used to sleeping on the ground, but something tells me you're not so lucky."

Lucy grinned, "Well, you're not exactly wrong."

He laughed, nodding once before turning in the direction of his own sleeping bag, but Lucy stopped him.

"Gray, if you don't mind, I do have a question that's been bugging me."

"Is it a question with a long answer or short?"

"Depends on how much you want to tell me."

Gray thought about her answer, impressed before taking a seat beside her on the ground, joining her as she watched the others.

"Go for it," he said, picking at the grass and folding one of the blades over his finger. Lucy watched him, not really sure what he was doing but decided not every question of hers could be answered immediately.

"Well," the girl began to pick at her nails before remembering that her nanny back home would scold her for it. She opted instead to sit on her hands, to which Gray raised a brow. "Why is Natsu in charge? If that's okay to ask," she hurriedly followed up, eyes widening in alarm. "Sorry if that's rude, it's just you all seem close to the same age, minus Wendy and Romeo of course, but-"

She was cut off by the boy's chuckling as he adjusted the grass blade in his hands, so that one end of it was between the tips of his thumbs.

_Honestly_, Lucy wondered, _what is he doing with that thing?_

"It's okay to have a question, Lucy." The boy smirked, "You don't have to freak out so much." He pressed the base of both his thumbs together, catching the grass between them. "As for Natsu," he shrugged, "he's been here the longest. Even he's not really sure just how long." Carefully, he straightened his thumbs to pull the blade taut, and cursed when he pulled too hard, snapping the blade in half.

"And," he continued once he'd found a new piece, "yeah, he's a pain in the neck sometimes- most of the time," he corrected himself, with a low grumble. "I gotta admit he's probably the bravest out of all of us. Some would argue _stupidest_, but it depends on the day. Plus, thanks to Happy, he can fly whenever he wants, so he knows the island better than anyone else." Frowning, it seemed as if he were reconsidering his own words. "Except for maybe Hook, but I wouldn't bet my dinner on it."

It was Lucy's turn to frown as the space between her brows furrowed in confusion, though she was quick to correct this as her teacher had pointed out it can lead to premature wrinkles.

"Hook?

"A mean, nasty pirate who's always trying to nab one of us. Mostly the younger kids, since us older ones are more of a pain the ass to deal with apparently. But you're new here for now, and that's sure to peak his interest, so don't go wandering by yourself, okay Lucy? There's no telling when those dirty pirates are setting up a trap."

The girls eyes widened in alarm, and she was going to ask another question about these so-called pirates when he surprised her by pursing his lips, placing them right up against his thumbs and blowing on the grass blade.

Lucy's face broke out into a wide smile when she realized he was making the grass whistle.

"That's amazing," she cooed, to which Gray laughed.

"What, this?" He asked, holding up the little blade before tossing it over his shoulder. "It's just something to do to pass the time. Natsu does it a little different from me, and I think his way is supposed to be easier." Gray placed his hands on the ground to push himself to his feet. "You should ask him to show you how to do it sometime." With a wink over his shoulder to the blushing blonde, he laughed. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Lucy was left blushing, and again her eyes trailed back to the younger kids, and she smiled when she saw that Natsu was holding true to his promise from earlier, flying two very excited children around the clearing.

Standing, the heiress decided sleep could wait.

There were fireflies to chase.


	5. Pirates-1 Lost Kids-0

_**Summary: Peter Pan AU**_

_**a/n: I took a short little break from this, but there are only a few chapters left if everything goes accordingly! Hope you guys are enjoying this because this AU has honestly been one of my all-time favorites3 Peter Pan has a special place in my heart, that's for sure.**_

_**also, this chapter doesn't begin with the little "story within a story" that I normally have italicized in the beginning of every other chapter. This time it's at the end, just in case you guys thought I might've forgotten3**_

* * *

_Previously:_

_Lucy was left blushing, and again her eyes trailed back to the younger kids. She smiled when she saw that Natsu was holding true to his promise from earlier, flying two very excited children around the clearing as they flew after the balls of light._

_Standing, the heiress decided that sleep could wait. _

_There were fireflies to chase._

* * *

A gawky man lumbered down the path after the other pirate, swaying a bit from a mix of fatigue and the island heat as his partner tapped his beardless chin in thought.

"Hmm," the second man looked around dumbly while his crew mate shot him a dirty look that went unnoticed. "If I were a treasure, where would I hide?"

The taller, skinnier of the two only rolled his eyes and snorted. He struggled to find the energy to be snarky after stumbling around the island's forest all morning in the damp heat, but he seemed to manage to conjure up just enough sass to reply, "Gee, I don't know. Maybe you should try _thinking_like a treasure!"

Unfortunately, sarcasm only went right over the young pirate's head. His eyes lit up in excitement as he snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "You're right!"

The first man merely shook his head, pulling at his collar before wiping the sweat from his brow with an old bandana as he watched his crew member look deep in thought.

_That would be a first_, the man thought to himself, smirking while finding humor in his own comment. Then, it dawned on him just what the younger pirate was doing.

He was _actually_ trying to think like a treasure.

The older man slapped a hand to his face while his partner continued to stare into space. However, apparently deep thinking was tough on an empty stomach, because it wasn't long until the shorter of the two flopped to the ground with a loud huff.

"Thinking like a treasure is hard," he whined, yelping when the older pirate stepped on him as he passed.

"Idiot."

"Hey, wait for me!" The young pirate scrambled to his feet and hurried after the other. "Where are we going?"

"There's a small spring up ahead," the gawky man called over his shoulder, not bothering to slow down at all. "I need a drink and a quick sit-down. Then we can go back to looking for Captain's _precious treasure_." The older man rolled his eyes at his own words, pushing vines out of the way as he mumbled a quick, "_which may or may not exist_," though, luckily, his words went unheard.

So the two walked along, and the old man only had to get onto the young pirate twice about walking the plank if he didn't stop singing those blasted pirate jigs that Captain loved so much.

* * *

_Sleeping on the ground–_Lucy concluded the next morning as she stretched her arms high over her head–_was ten times worse than expected._

"Mornin'!" came a chipper voice from the foot of her sleeping bag. Rubbing her tired eyes with a loose fist, Lucy yawned before greeting Wendy, who was sitting cross-legged and showing off that gap-toothed grin as she played with her braid.

It had fallen out a bit after being slept on, and Lucy made a quick mental note to offer to redo it later.

Wendy flipped the plaited hair over one shoulder, giving Lucy her undivided attention as she asked how the blonde slept.

_Apparently not as good as you_, the blonde laughed as she wondered how someone could be so chipper before the first meal of the day. Speaking of…

Her cheeks flushed at the sound her stomach made at the thought of breakfast. Though, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense as to why she was so hungry despite never being a big breakfast eater.

She hadn't eaten a thing since arriving in Neverland!

Wendy seemed to sense this and giggled. The younger girl reached across the extra blanket that Lucy didn't remember going to bed with–it was thick, with little tassels on one end–and grabbed Lucy's hand to pull the blonde to her feet.

"Natsu was probably a little too excited showing you around to remember something like food," she giggled, but her statement only made Lucy frown.

"Does Natsu not need to, um, eat?" She knew the boy was a little odd–come on, he could _fly_–but not having to _eat_?

Wendy snorted, "Oh no, he eats. _Trust me_, the boy eats. Normally he never misses a meal, but like I said, he was probably too caught up introducing you to our home! Now, come on," she led Lucy way from the sleeping bags and in the direction of the other side of the clearing where the boys were huddled around a small fire. "It's breakfast time!"

Wendy announced _breakfast time_ in a sing-song voice, continuing to hum a little song under her breath as they walked. Lucy didn't pay much mind to it, however, as she was a little preoccupied with wondering just what sort of meal a bunch of kids in the woods could come up with.

* * *

The answer came to her in a large whiff that carried in the breeze coasting over the open flames of the camp fire.

Fish, and lots of it.

Normally, the girl's stomach would roll at the thought of it–she had never been a big seafood eater after the bedtime story her mother had read to her about a papa fish looking for his lost son–but she figured it was better than a few other things that it could have been.

"Yay!" The tiny Exceed fluttered his wings as it came to an excited halt in front of Lucy, holding a fish three times his size. "I _love_ fish, Lucy! And Natsu and Loke caught a whole bunch this morning, so this is gonna be the best day ever!"

Lucy laughed behind her hand at the Exceed's enthusiasm, stroking the little guy's head before accepting the stick that Gray offered with pieces of fish stuck on the end.

_A fish kabob_, Lucy internally grimaced at the thought of eating it right off the stick. _Lovely._

She was just about to take an experimental bite when she heard laughter behind her, right before feeling a tap on her shoulder.

It was Natsu, and Lucy noticed his proud grin before anything else. She'd spent enough time with him by now to be at least a _little_ weary of that look, and that's when she realized he was holding something behind his back.

"Good morning," she grinned, hoping that if she played nice the she could guilt him into not playing some nasty prank.

Lucy began to mentally prepare for the worst, and she made a promise that if he was holding a spider behind his back to throw in her hair, she was gonna…

But, her worry was for naught.

"Mornin'," he grinned, voice still a little thick with sleep as he kneeled down to join her.

He ducked his head, looking a tad sheepish as he finally presented what he'd been hiding from her.

As he held it out for her to take, Lucy's eyes lit up at the sight. Freshly picked fruits and an assortment of berries were piled into a whittled-out block of wood that the kids must use as bowls.

He'd made her a homemade fruit cup.

"You didn't really seem like the type to eat campfire food," was all he offered before handing it over.

The gesture was the most thoughtful thing he'd done for her, and Lucy smiled as she gratefully accepted the fruit over the smell of fish.

_He must really be trying to make up for yesterday._

"Thank you," she laughed, then her eyes widened at her faux pas. "Not that I'm not grateful for the fish," she quickly reassured the others, who merely smirked when she turned back around to face Neverland's infamous protector.

Happy fluttered over, planting a huge–well, big for an Exceed, that is–smooch on the blonde's cheek.

"Yay fruit!" he cheered, calling dibs on the kabob in Lucy's other hand. "Means more fish for me!"

Natsu laughed at the two before both kids noticed Wendy gesturing for him to come to her side of the fire. Lucy cocked her head to the side when the young girl passed some sort of tablet into his outstretched hand.

_They have medicine in Neverland?_

"What's that?" she asked before her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

_Think before you speak, _she berated herself, not even wanting to think of the lecture she would have just received back home for her rude outburst. "I'm so sorry-"

Natsu cut off her apology before she could truly form the words, as if he was growing accustomed to her constant apologies over the tiniest things.

That small grin on his face sure was telling.

"Don't worry about it, Luce," he laughed at her flustered appearance. Natsu held the tiny capsule up to give her a better view. "It's a pill. Wendy whips us a batch every month so that I can take one each morning."

"What are they for?"

Gray snorted from nearby, startling the blonde. She hadn't even been sure if he was paying attention to their conversation or not. "He gets motion sick without them. Can't even get off the ground without losing his lunch."

"Breakfast _and_ a show," Romeo whispered to the heiress after taking the now open seat beside her. Lucy giggled as she nibbled on her fruit, watching as the two older boys began arguing after Gray's comment.

* * *

Once breakfast was over, and the heiress had finished her fruit, Wendy noticed the dirt that had collected on Lucy's nightgown and offered to show her to a small–mermaid free, thank goodness–babbling creek where the blonde could wash off.

Since the trip to the water would most likely turn into a bath, the boys opted to stay back and clean up while the girls went on their way.

Lucy recounted a short story to tell the younger girl to pass the time as they walked, telling her the one about the girl who went on a trip down the rabbit hole, causing Wendy to giggle the whole way.

The blonde's eyes had widened when the small girl had reached for her hand at one point, and Lucy had only faltered in her story telling for one short second before picking right back up, this time with a warm smile on her face.

She could get used to Neverland.

However, this simple thought would come back to bite her when they eventually made it to the water, and Wendy asked her that one simple question: _how long are you planning on staying? _

When the blonde hadn't answered immediately–because really, she hadn't given it much thought. Her nanny was probably worried sick when Lucy wasn't in her bed back home this morning. The young heiress began to feel nauseous–Wendy took her silence the wrong way.

"Not that it matters," she was quick to follow up, hiding her embarrassed flush by focusing intently on the water. "It's just that your nightgown is really pretty but it's also really muddy where we stay so if you were planning on staying awhile I could help you make some new clothes but if you're–"

"Wendy," Lucy gently shushed the babbling girl, her heart aching when she reached out to place her hand on the girl's shoulder only to see her eyes were filling with tears.

"I-I just," the young girl hiccuped, startling the blonde by suddenly latching on to her leg in a hug. "I like having you around, and not just cause you're a girl and it makes me not the the only anymore."

The young heiress swallowed around the lump forming in her throat, finding it hard to believe Neverland was filled with so many precious memories already when fourteen years back home had presented so few.

She hid her tears from the younger girl, smiling reassuringly. "I like having you around too, Wendy."

Wendy was about to respond when suddenly, she whipped her head around, obviously hearing something that Lucy couldn't.

The blonde stilled completely, straining her ears to try and figure out whatever it was over the sound of the water.

That's when it hit her, the sounds were voices… and they were close.

But they were too deep to belong to the guys.

Still _very_ attached to her leg, Lucy was able to feel it when Wendy began to shake.

"_Pirates_," the young girl said softly, fear very evident in her voice.

"Wendy," Lucy said, lowering her voice while keeping her eyes trained on the trees ahead of her. "I'm going to need you to listen to me very, very carefully, okay?" She hated speaking to the girl in such a slow, meticulous manner knowing how intelligent she had already presented herself to be on multiple occasions since Lucy had met her. However, Lucy also knew that the girl was still just that–a little girl. A scared one at that.

Not that the blonde could blame her. She was just as terrified.

"I need you to be brave, okay?" She waited for Wendy to nod before she continued. "I want you to run back to the clearing, get the guys and–"

"I'm not leaving y–"

"Yes, you are," Lucy insisted, already turning the girl in the direction back towards camp. "Go, hurry and let them know. Natsu will be able to get here quickly. Everything will be okay." she said, not knowing if she could keep her promise.

It took a little more convincing, though every passing second was causing the blonde's blood sugar to rise, but finally Wendy complied, racing through the woods with tears in her eyes.

Just in time too, it seemed, as just as Lucy lost track of the tiny girl racing down the path, the men decided to make their appearance.

Lucy tried ducking in the bushes just as the first pirate showed his face, and she prayed that she'd hidden in time. She winced as a few of the thorns bit into the skin of her arms and snagged at her poor, beat up nightgown, but she was too scared to move to readjust herself.

Their voices only came closer and closer, however, creeping up on the young heiress from her hiding place.

"Well well," said one of the pirates, his voice scratchy and grating Lucy's ears. "I didn't know the Lost Kids had a new little playmate."

The girl registered the man's words too late, because just as she was about to make a dash for the path back to the clearing, a hand swooped down into the bushes and grabbed a fistful of her hair.

Lucy shrieked, but the two pirates just laughed.

"Captain'll be thrilled with us this time," came a deeper voice. "I can't wait to get back to the ship." While the two were obviously elated that they had something to report back with, the man holding onto Lucy's hair gave it a sharp pull, lurching the girl to her feet.

The younger of the two threw her over his shoulder, but Lucy proved to be a struggle. Thinking quick, the girl reached up and yanked _hard _on the pirates long braid that was poking out from underneath his bandana.

It _seemed_ to work, as the pirate cursed and dropped Lucy like deadweight to the hard ground. The girl cried out, but scrambled to her feet to make a break for it.

The other pirate seemed to anticipate this, however, and made a quick move towards her to grab whatever he could.

Lucy, not thinking, aimed a blind kick for his middle that sent the man to his knees. She took only the briefest of seconds to feel proud of herself before she was running again, but she didn't make it far before the youngest one reached out and caught her ankle and pulled hard, tripping her so quickly that she didn't have enough time to put her hands out to catch herself or break her fall.

She hit the ground head on, effectively knocking her out cold.

* * *

_His voice came from just over her shoulder, sending shivers down her back in the cool night._

"_I'm the protector of Neverland, do you really believe I would put the Lost Kids in any real danger?"_

_She didn't say anything immediately, playing over the boy's reckless schemes in the past and almost scared to find that she didn't know the answer. The girl was still trying to ease her racing heart, tears collecting in her eyes at the relief of seeing those small outlines down the hill. The Lost Kids were safe, that's all she cared about at the time._

"_Answer me, Layla."_

* * *

**PART 6 COMING SOON**


End file.
